1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a slipcover for a piece of upholstered seating-type furniture. More specifically, the invention relates to a semi-fitted, one-piece slipcover having a minimal number of parts and seams, for use on an item of furniture having a back and at least one seat cushion, which gives a neat appearance and which retains its position during use of the item of furniture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Slipcovers for pieces of furniture are known in the art, and are frequently used by consumers to change the appearance of a piece of furniture. Such slipcovers are typically used to cover the piece of furniture with a different fabric, to cover damage such as holes or worn spots in the existing fabric of the furniture, or to hide the appearance of stains due to spills and the like. Such slipcovers historically have been custom-made to fit the item of furniture, and full-fashioned (i.e. fitted) in order that they provide the appearance of regular upholstered furniture, rather than a slipcovered appearance. Custom-making of slipcovers, however, tends to be time consuming and expensive; thus it often is more cost-effective to re-upholster the furniture than to slipcover it.
Prefabricated slipcovers which can fit a variety of furniture items of typical dimensions and which can be more readily applied by the consumer himself have also been developed. Though these slipcovers tend to be less expensive to produce than custom-tailored ones, they can be difficult to apply to some styles and shapes of furniture, and often result in an unsatisfactory appearance due to improper fit. Because of the desire to simplify the construction and application of such consumer-applied slipcovers, one-piece slipcovers have been developed.
Examples of such one-piece slipcovers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,695,244 to Cohen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,610 to Perrin, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,407 to Tell. The patent to Cohen describes a one-piece slipcover which is full-fashioned to form a substantially fitted cover, and which includes extra lengths of material in certain areas in order that it can accommodate some variations in the furniture dimensions. The cover also includes an extra row of stitching along a front portion thereof in an attempt to give the appearance that the seat cushion has been separately covered. Because that portion of the slipcover which covers the base of the item of furniture hangs freely from the portion which covers the cushion front, a fitted appearance is not achieved by this cover. Further, when the seat cushion is compressed such as by a parcel being placed or a person sitting thereon, the front of the cover moves downwardly toward the floor in response to the cushion movement. Not only does this further destroy the illusion of the seat cushion being separately covered, but the-slipcover itself can be stepped on by the sitting person and become soiled or damaged.
The patent to Perrin describes a protective furniture cover which is formed to have dished portions which form armpiece covers. The cover also includes a drawstring about its lower open end in order to enable it to be tightened about the base of the item of furniture which it covers. While providing a cover which is relatively easy to secure about the item of furniture, this cover provides a clearly slipcovered appearance to the furniture, as the cover extends freely downward from the top of the seat cushion. In other words, there is no means provided for delineating the seat cushion from the rest of the item of furniture being covered; therefore, the fact that the furniture has been slipcovered rather than re-upholstered is readily apparent. Further, because the cover is not secured about the seat cushion of the item of furniture, and particularly because it is not secured beneath the cushion about the cushion front, there is a greater tendency for the cover to become displaced in response to the typical movement caused by a person sitting down on and getting up from the item of furniture. In addition, because the front lower portion of the cover, i.e. the portion which covers the furniture base, extends downwardly from an upper edge of the seat cushions, the cover tends to balloon outwardly in response to compression of the seat cushion such as that caused by a person sitting in the sofa, which results in an undesirable appearance.
The patent to Tell describes a unitary adjustable cover which includes a plurality of panels which are joined together along a plurality of adjustable channels. The cover gives an obviously slipcovered appearance to the furniture being covered, particularly because the seat cushion(s) of the furniture is(are) covered unitarily with the rest of the furniture item and there is no means for delineating the cushions from the furniture base. Similar to the cover discussed in the Perrin patent, the cover has a tendency to become displaced as a result of the typical forces caused by a person sitting down on and getting up from the item of furniture being covered. Further, because the front of the cover extends freely downward from the top of the seat cushion, when the seat cushion is compressed such as by a parcel being placed or a person sitting thereon, the front of the cover moves downwardly along with the cushion movement. This tends to provide an undesirable appearance, particularly in the embodiment of the invention where the cover is secured about the bottom of the sofa, as the cover merely balloons outwardly from the seat to the floor. When the cover is not secured about the bottom of the piece of furniture, it tends to pool on the floor, where it can become soiled or damaged, particularly since the sagging material tends to be located in the same location as the seated person's feet. Further, a person's feet could become tangled in the sagging material, thereby causing the person to trip and fall.
In addition to the obvious practicability of slipcovers, the slip covered look for furniture has recent times become popular with interior designers and consumers alike. For this reason, it is sometimes preferred to have slipcovers which are "semi-fitted", meaning they are structured to some degree to correspond to the contours of the furniture which they cover, but are unstructured to a great enough extent that they still suggest a slipcovered appearance to observers. Heretofore, however, it has been difficult to achieve this semi-fitted look without the expensive customization process. Further, because designs of furniture vary so much from year to year and from manufacturer to manufacturer, it is difficult to obtain a consistently appealing fit on a variety of pieces of furniture from a single slipcover. For this reason, mass-produced, standardized slipcovers have been less commercially practicable than the obvious utility of such would suggest.
Thus, a need exists for a slipcover for furniture which can be readily manufactured using only a minimal number of pieces, and which is semi-fitted to provide a neat appearance, while suggesting the presence of a slipcover.
Further, a need exists for a slipcover which is can be easily applied by the consumer to pieces of furniture of various shapes and dimensions, without requiring full-fashioned customization.
In addition, a need exists for a slipcover which maintains its proper position and appearance on the item of furniture throughout use of the furniture and compression of the seat cushions thereof.